While it won’t be a recurring gig, T.I. joined Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless on ESPN’s First Take to talk about Michael Vick, his stint in Atlanta, and whether or not he can lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl this year.

Funny how I semi-defended this guy a week ago only for him to get tested once more on national TV. Bosh, for whatever reason, had a pow wow with shock analyst Skip Bayless on ESPN’s First Take: Bayless’s home turf. Bosh isn’t much of a fighter so you have to wonder why he bothered to step into such a lions den. Anyway, Chris had time to defend himself against the emasculating “Bosh Spice” nickname Skip christened him with last season. Bosh took the high road, kept it classy and asked Skip to stop using the term. You already know Bayless wouldn’t have that. So he unsurprisingly bluntly stated his reasons behind using the title despite saying he “respects” Chris’s family name.

Skip’s usually a drama king and a jerk but he made a good point in his argument. Bosh had plenty of chances throughout the year to prove himself on the NBA’s most polarizing team. However he flat out underplayed for long stretches and couldn’t act brand new when the jokes piled on. Then, when Bosh played well late in the post season, people got really quiet: Skip included.

Seeing Bosh’s high and low points shows you have to take the good with the bad and in life. You can ignore the negativity or, as Chris Bosh said, use it as motivation to show and prove. Respect is earned when you perform well. Therefore, it’s surprising to see fans slowly turn around after Bosh’s play in the Finals.

At the same time that still doesn’t change the fact that Skip tried to punk out Chris to his face. I mean he admitted to calling him a woman with no remorse and it’s up to Bosh to shut him up. I’m confused as to why Bosh would think Skip Bayless seemed capable of being more thoughtful. The guy makes a living off of hiking on millionaire athletes after all. At the very least, Chris didn’t play into Skip’s usual trap involving shouting matches and name calling.

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